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The preparation for The Sauna Test — as Sam had dubbed it — had gone perfectly, according to Mike's plan. They'd taken the dummy that Sam had stolen, and duct taped a Walkie around it. Sam had volunteered hers, although she had just gotten a new Walkie after it broke last year. She just hoped something wouldn't happen to this one, too.

They'd stuck the dummy into the sauna when everyone had exited the pool. Everyone, except for Billy, who was now showering after his shift. Lucas was in the control room, waiting for a signal in his Walkie through Max's. The rest of them were hidden in supply closets and lockers. Sam had chosen to hide in the closet, accompanied by Will and Max. Corey was hiding in an entire closet of his own due to his horrible claustrophobia. Mike and El were both in a respective locker, and Sam couldn't fathom how that was comfortable.

In only a few minutes, they heard the water of Billy's shower turn off. Sam nodded towards Max, who brought her Walkie up to her mouth.

"Now, Lucas," she whispered into the device.

All of a sudden, the lights of the showering rooms shut off. The lights in the locker room and the gym with the sauna were turned back on.

"Pool's closed," Billy said, not really thinking much of it.

Then, Mike banged on the locker he was inside of to really grab Billy's attention. From the closet, Sam could hear metallic scraping and clanging.

"Hey!" Billy slammed his own locker shut, searching for the source of the noise. "Do you hear me? Pool is closed!"

Billy slammed on the exit door, only to find that it was locked. Unbeknownst to Billy, they had put a lock on it from the outside, that only Lucas could unlock, because he had the key.

"Locker room lights off," Max whispered into her Walkie for Lucas to hear.

They knew Lucas heard her, because the lights shut off just like she'd asked.

Now it was Mike's turn to talk into his own Walkie. Only, this one wasn't sending a message back to Lucas. This one was connected to Sam's Walkie on full blast.

"Billy!" Mike taunted.

"Who's there?" demanded Billy, beginning through the locker room. The noise was coming further in the vicinity.

"Billy!" continued Mike, in a sing-songy voice.

"Who's there?" Billy sang back in the same tune.

Mike laughed into his Walkie, the laughter reverberated mockingly all around. Billy charged back into the shower room, slamming open shower curtains in search of Mike's voice. Sam and Will shared a look as he inched closer to the spot they wanted Billy to go.

In a jeering tone, still, Mike continued, "Billy! Billy!"

"You think this is funny, huh?" Billy sneered.

Sam snorted, because — yes — she did think it was funny. Will hit her shoulder and glared at her, so Sam stifled her laughter as to not be heard.

"Billy, come find me!" Mike teased. "Come on!"

By now, Billy was far enough from the exit so that Lucas could leave the breakers and unlock the door. Sam could hear Billy's footsteps traveling closer to where the kids were hiding.

"I find you, it is your funeral."

"Come and get me!" Mike patronized, voice echoing off everything. He laughed. "Billy! Come on!"

As Billy sped into the gym, they all began to slip out of their hiding spots and met up with Lucas. Sam watched as Billy spotted the dummy in the sauna. Mistaking it for Mike, he started to clap and laugh.

"Got you!" he cackled.

Voice low now, Mike said, "Come and get me, you piece of shit."

Billy threw open the sauna door, and the malicious smile fell from his face quick. Being met with the sight of a dummy, and not a kid, he realized it was a trick all along. Billy strangled the dummy in anger, holding it high in the air. He was eye-to-eye with the dummy's torso, where Sam's Walkie was taped.

"Hey," Mike taunted finally, "behind you."

Billy dropped the dummy and spun around. Standing a few feet behind Billy, was El, in an intimidating stance.

"Hi," El growled.

She nodded her chin up, using her powers to send Billy flying back into the sauna. The force of it was so great he broke the tiles and grunted on floor.

"Now!" yelled Mike

He, Sam, Lucas, Max, Corey, and Will came running into the gym room in a hurried manner. El swiped a hand, shutting the sauna door with her powers. Mike locked Billy in with a steel pipe stuck underneath the handle and support beam. Corey and Will locked the pipe in using the two chain links they found. Lucas locked both of them with the lock he used to keep Billy from the exit.

Once the door was as locked as possible, they ran back to Sam, Max, and El. The seven Party members huddled a few feet away from the door. El pushed them behind her.

There was a small, rectangle window on the sauna door that let the kids see Billy inside. He was slamming on the metal door, grunting and panting, trying to get out. Eventually, his head tilted down to see the amount of metal chaining him inside.

Billy stared at them, breathing heavily. Sam was confused as to why Billy was calming down, but it was because his eyes had landed on his step-sister.

"Max..." he frowned in disbelief.

Max swallowed thickly, keeping stern eye contact with Billy. "Do it."

Sam ran away from her friends, and instead threw herself over to the temperature controls of the sauna. She quickly turned the sauna to the highest possible temperature it could go to — 220 degrees — before she scurried back over to the group.

The hissing of the steam entering the sauna was the only thing heard in the small gym besides Billy's panting breaths. For a second, Billy went out of their sight from the small window. But, then, he was throwing his body against the locked, metal door in rage. Sam could see his whole body was damp with sweat, and his hair was naturally curling much more than the usual.

"Max!" shouted Billy, his voice echoing around the room. "Let me out of here! Let me out," his heavy breath fogged up the glass. "You kids... You think this... is funny? You think this is some kind of sick prank, huh?"

Billy spit on the window. Sam and Max made intense eye contact.

He continued, "You little shits think is funny?!" Sam broke her shared gaze with Max, looking back at the unstable Billy. "What is this? Open... the door. Open the door! Open the door! OPEN THE GODDAMN DOOR!"

Billy sat himself down on the ground, and while Sam couldn't see him, she could hear Billy pounding his hands and feet on the floor. He began screaming, essentially having a temper tantrum.

Jeez, this dude has serious issues, Sam thought.

Will ran over to check the sauna's temperature. He read, "We're at 220."

He slowly backed away from the dial, joining the group of friends again. They were all staring warily at the sauna door, unsure of what the outcome of this may be. Billy was in there, throwing a fit, and they couldn't tell if that was just him or whatever was possessing him.

Sam had a feeling it was both.

Still on the floor of the sauna, they heard sobbing coming from inside. Billy was sobbing. He cried, "It's not my fault. It's not my fault. It's not my fault, Max. I promise you, it's not my fault!"

Max's heart looked like it was breaking a little. Tentatively, she began walking up to the door of the sauna so she could see Billy again. He was curled up, sweaty back against the wall furthest away from them. His hands were together, as if he was praying.

But tonight he was not going to find God.

"What's not your fault, Billy?" Max asked, eyeing him.

Corey turned his head towards Sam. Catching his blonde cousin's attention, Corey mouthed, 'He's crazy.'

'No shit!' Sam mouthed right back.

"I've done things, Max. Really... bad things," Billy croaked out, voice raw. "I didn't mean to... He made me do it."

Everyone took a few steps closer, and now Sam had never been more intrigued. He made me do it. She remembered Will saying the exact same thing in the lab. He made me do it.

"Who made you do it?" Max asked him.

"I don't know, it's like a shadow," Billy cried. The Party's eyes widened, and El and Will made apprehensive eye contact. "Like a giant shadow. Please, Max."

The Mind Flayer.

"What did he make you do?" questioned Max, voice sounding fearful for Billy.

"It's not my fault!" Billy broke out into broken sobs at the question. "Okay? Max, please. Please, believe me, Max. It's not my fault! I tried to stop him, okay?" he pleaded. "I did. Please, believe me, Max. Please believe me."

Max put a hand of hers on the window. Tearfully, she stared down at Billy's broken frame. "Billy, it's gonna be okay," her voice cracked.

"Max, please," Billy continued to beg, stalling for time.

"We want to help you," Max fell for his facade, heart breaking. "We want to help you. You just have to talk to us, okay? You have to talk to us."

Suddenly, Will's eyes went wide and out of focus. His hand found its way to the back of his neck in fear.

Max continued trying to break through to Billy, but it would be of no use. Will shuddered, and into the air, he whispered, "I feel him." Sam and Mike looked at Will with wide eyes. "He's activated."

Sam's head jerked back to Max, and she ran towards her. In a frenzy, Mike yelled, "Max, get away from the door!"

"What—?" Max was about to say. Sam had wrapped her arms around Max's waist and threw her away from the door, right as Billy used a tile shard to break through the window. Shards of glass flew at the two.

"Let me out, you bitch! LET ME OUT! I'll fucking gut you!" Billy threatened, swinging his hand in the air, aiming at Sam and/or Max. He threw the metal pole to the side, no longer underneath the door handle, as he continued to roar in anger. Sam held Max, trying to protect and comfort a crying Max through it all. "LET ME OUT!"

Lucas had grabbed his slingshot, hitting Billy with a rock that knocked him back. "Guys, come on!" he shouted, reaching for Sam's wrist and pulling her back over to him protectively. Lucas pushed himself in front of her, doing the same with Max.

The lights around them began flickering like wild. They turned in circles, head tilted above eyeing the fluorescent madness happening above them. It reminded Sam all too much of Hawkins Lab. The Demodogs, the massacre, her attack, and Bob's death...

This can't be happening again. This can't be happening again.

Billy began roaring, and they all jumped around in fear to see what he was doing. Dark, black veins were crawling all over his tan, skin; his eyes were pools of black lifelessness.

Then, Billy started running towards the sauna door at full force, trying to break it open.

The kids gasped in shock. El put her arms out, pushing everyone back.

"He can't get out, can he?" Corey asked, voice laced with fear.

Lucas shook his head. "No way... No. Way."

Proving Lucas wrong, Billy continued screaming and ramming his body onto the metal door. He dented it. Billy hit it again, bending the support pole that was keeping it shut with the chains attached. Then, running at the door one more time, he finally broke it open. The chains snapped, a chunk of the support beam flew off, and the door detached off its hinges.

The Party all yelled as he stepped out of the sauna. El pushed her friends back behind her further. Sam tried putting herself in front of those that El were protecting, but Lucas hid Sam behind her in cooperation with Max so that Sam was tucked away from Billy's sight.

Beyond them, El and Billy were having a stare down. El brought up a hand; using her powers, she picked up a massive weight in the gym and threw it at Billy full force with a scream. Billy was pinned to the brick wall by the weight up against his neck. He tried resisting it, so El threw up her second hand to strengthen her powers and hold Billy there. The weight started breaking into the wall, cracking the bricks Billy was pinned against.

There was a moment of relief amongst the Party members, knowing El had saved them once again. But, Flayed Billy was stronger than they thought.

Billy began overpowering El's force. He grabbed the bar of the weight with both his hands and started to peel the weight off of him.

El screamed, trying to force the weight back against Billy's neck with all of her power, but it was no use. Billy threw the weight El's way, and El had to throw herself to the floor to duck from it. Luckily, she did, with the weight clanging to the floor behind her, but Billy was far from done now.

He ran forward with a roar, gripping the back of El's hair. El's head was forced back, causing her to scream, a mixture of shock and pain. Billy stared at the group, his dark eyes skipping across their faces — Lucas, Max, Corey, Mike, Will... Sam.

Billy made direct eye contact with Sam before he gripped El by the throat tightly. El began choking, desperately trying to pull Billy's hand off, gasping for air. He slowly pulled El off the ground by just one hand around her neck. El was coughing, sobbing, choking, and writhing as she tried to get out of Billy's grip. He was too strong.

Sam was beginning to feel a kind deep-rooted anger she'd never felt before. The lights above flickered even more with low whines. She breathed, in and out, too upset to repress the rushing feeling inside her chest.

"Billy!" El screamed, legs flailing in desperate attempt to be put down. "No! No! NO!" She continued choking, slowly running out of air. "No..."

El gasped for oxygen, but her eyes began to roll to the back of her head.

Mike yelled in utter fury, coming up behind Billy and hitting him right in the head with the metal pipe as hard as he could. Billy dropped El, falling to the ground. "Go to hell, you piece of shit!" screamed Mike.

Sam's eyes darted to the floor, where El was panting, on the verge of passing out. Her face was completely red due to the lack of air in her brain. Sam breathed, harder; while El looked so tired and beaten, Sam was just starting to feel alive.

Mike tried swinging the pipe down on Billy again, but this time, Billy was prepared. This time, Billy grabbed it. He threw the pipe to the floor, heading for Mike now. Billy backed Mike up into a wall, and—

"NO!" Sam yelled desperately, officially having had enough.

All of the electricity in the room seemed as if it went out. Just like that. Everyone looked around, wondering what happened to the lights, but their answer was quickly given in utter amazement.

There was an electric blue field, surrounding Sam. It zapped all around her, and if you looked closer, her eyes had turned the exact same color — from grassy green to an icy, charged blue. Sam glared at Billy, dangerously, with deep red blood pouring out her nose.

"Leave them alone!" screamed Sam, and now the lights were blinking everywhere. They were struck with the realization that Sam was powering it all; the lights, the air conditioning, everything. Billy jolted to the floor, seizing as if he was being electrocuted.

Because he was.

Sam's electric field grew, zapping Billy, and as she yelled, louder, Billy rose in the air while spazzing madly.

"S—Sa—" Billy tried pleading, but the s was being pronounced like z.

"SHUT UP!" Sam shouted, furiously.

This type of anger, this type of rushing anger, had the whole room alive. There was only one way to describe it. Electric. Sam was electric. She was doing this, with the help of an icy blue, sparking field around her that she created herself.

Sam grunted through a yell, and Billy wailed, and everyone did nothing but watch as Sam threw Billy into the brick wall. He went straight through it. Billy flew through the air, tumbling onto the grass, unconscious.

The lightning aura around Sam dissipated, and the lights of the gym finally returned back to normal. No one spoke. No one even breathed.

Slowly, Sam wiped the blood from underneath her nose with a focused look. She walked towards the hole she'd created, the rest of the Party behind her. Sam watched Billy wake up and run away into the dark woods near the pool.

Billy was the new host, possessed by the Mind Flayer, and Samantha Hughes had superpowers.

"What the fuck just happened?" Corey breathed.

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Sam was hiding in a bathtub.

That, honestly, was the most predictable outcome from... everything that had gone down back at the community pool. They were back at the Wheeler residence now, and Sam was quick with the excuse that she "had to go to the bathroom."

Sam did not. Sam was sitting in Mike's empty bathtub, fully clothed, hiding from her bewildered friends outside.

She knew that the second she went out there, she'd be interrogated about what happened. Now, it was real. Sam's supernatural abilities were an undeniable thing that she should have seen coming, and yet, she never did. If she had seen it coming, she wouldn't be hiding in the Wheelers' tub right now.

The sky was blue. The grass was green. There were twenty-four hours in a day. The Mind Flayer was back. Sam had superpowers. The (unfortunate) facts of life.

It wasn't El who had gotten rid of Billy in the end, it was Sam. Sam, who conjured all of the electricity in the room. Sam, who surrounded herself in an electric blue field. Sam, who electrocuted Billy, then sent him flying through a brick wall.

Sam, who had superpowers.

She groaned, lying back in the dry tub with a miserable look. Sam rubbed her face with her hands. She was not pleased by this new development.

A polite knock sounded from the bathroom door.

"Sam, are you in here?"

Lucas.

Sam flailed, sitting up properly in the tub with a panicked look.

"Um — no," she said, clearly lying.

Lucas sighed from the other side of the door. He asked, "Are you using the toilet?"

"Yes," she said, clearly lying.

Not asking for any consent, Lucas turned the nob and came right into the bathroom with her. Sam cursed herself, wishing she'd locked the door before she decided to plop down in an empty bathtub.

"I don't really want to talk right now, Lucas," whispered Sam.

She couldn't even take herself seriously. She was sitting in a bathtub.

Luckily, Lucas had the nerve not to make Sam feel stupid. He shrugged, not really sure what to do in this situation. It was awkward. It was all so horribly awkward and that was the part that hurt the most, Sam thought. This wasn't them. This wasn't Sam and Lucas. They were never awkward or distant with each other. They were best friends who told the other everything.

Or, they used to be.

Sam didn't know where they stood anymore.

"Okay. I'll just," Lucas hesitantly sat down on the closed lid of Mike's toilet, awkwardly propping his elbows on his knees, "sit here on the toilet. We don't have to talk."

Sam sighed. He was trying so hard. She could sense the guilt.

(Now Sam knew she was actually sensing the guilt, because she fucking had superpowers, for god's sake.)

"There's blood on your hand," Lucas broke the quiet, anyways.

Sam's hand had been resting atop the edge of the tub. She looked down to see, on the back of her hand, dried blood coating it. This was due to the number of times she'd used her hand to wipe off the blood underneath her nose; El should've advised just how much would pour out from using so much energy.

"Yeah, I guess," Sam shrugged. Her eyes darted away from her hand uncomfortably.

Lucas huffed to himself. He mused, "Three years ago you would've fainted at the sight of it."

Three years ago you would've told me why you were mad at me.

Sam didn't say anything.

Lucas sighed and Sam felt his guilt increase. The satisfaction Sam experienced at that made her feel horrible inside.

He stood up from the toilet seat, and for a moment Sam thought he was leaving; that he was giving up on her that easily. She hadn't wanted him to come in, but now that he was here, she felt a twinge of sadness at the thought of him going away. Sam was trying to be more honest to herself now, and the truth was that she wanted Lucas to stay.

Lucas wasn't leaving, though. He grabbed a washcloth from the rack; he turned on the sink to wet it.

"What are you doing?" asked Sam, brows crinkled.

But when Lucas sat down again, Sam pieced it together. This time, he wasn't on the toilet. He was on the fluffy rug right outside the tub, right in front of Sam, who was still in it.

"I'm fi—"

"Don't," Lucas cut her off as he gently grabbed a hold of her hand. The whole moment made Sam fall silent almost instantly. Usually, she could never shut up, but now she didn't dare to utter a word.

Sam's eyes were glued on Lucas when he began wiping the blood off. He started with her pointer finger, swiping softly until clean skin appeared underneath it. Her breath caught in her throat at the gentleness of it all. No one had cared enough to do this to her; Sam figured she would have to wipe it off on her own. She'd just been avoiding it, because she really hated blood.

But Lucas knew that, so he didn't make her.

Lucas cleaned her hand until all the red blood was soaked up by the wet washcloth. From the ground, he tossed it up into the sink when he was done. Sam finally felt like she could move again. She retracted her hand, wiping the wetness off on her overalls.

"I think you might have powers," Lucas announced after a beat.

Sam heaved. They'd reached the one subject she didn't want to touch in just minutes.

"Me too," she groaned. "This sucks."

"I don't think it sucks," Lucas said. "I think it's cool, actually."

Sam shook her head. She certainly didn't think this was cool. She didn't understand why Lucas thought so.

There was a spotlight on Sam now. A big, electric blue one that only she could be under without getting zapped. It wouldn't just be El they turned to in a moment of danger. Now, Sam was capable of protecting them, too. She'd been protecting them all her life, but now she had to. No one was coming to save her, it had to be the other way around. She couldn't afford weakness anymore. She couldn't afford letting anyone die anymore.

Not like Bob.

Sam's face screwed up. She shook her head, shook away the thoughts.

"It's really not cool. I can't..." she said, but she wasn't sure how to finish that. Can't control this. Can't do this. Can't do any of this. "I'm just tired, Lucas."

Lucas tilted his head at her, confused. They'd been so distant lately that he never got the chance to learn this fact about her. Only Corey, Max, and El knew.

"You haven't been sleeping?" he realized, brows furrowed in concerned.

"Can't."

"Can't fall asleep, or can't stay asleep?" asked Lucas.

"Just..." Sam grimaced and shrugged slightly. "It's stupid, really, but I have... I mean, I keep waking up, can't stay asleep, because—"

Lucas waited, but Sam couldn't say it, so once that became obvious, Lucas said it for her. "Nightmares?"

They both knew the answer to that.

Lucas ran his thumb up and down his knee. He wasn't saying anything, but Sam could tell he wanted to.

"Go ahead," Sam said. "Whatever you're thinking, just say it."

Lucas looked at her. His eyes were the mesmerizing, dark pools Sam remembered. "I just don't get it. I've spent my whole life hiding the things I'm not. Why run from the amazing things you are?"

Sam gave an irritated shrug. She never knew why this just made her feel defensive. These were her choices, right or wrong, and they were long since made. "I know who I am, what I'm good at, what I can and can't do. I'm just... I'm what I am. A good friend, a bad liar. Why can't that be enough?"

"For me? Or for you?"

"Don't get philosophical on me, Sinclair."

"Sam, I've thought about this—"

"Thought of me? Was I in Mike's tub then, too?"

"I've thought about your powers," Lucas corrected, not letting Sam joke her way out of this. "Has it ever occurred to you that you're so good with empathy because you are an Empath?"

"Lucas, you're great, but you're a whole lot of crazy in one glass."

"Maybe. But I've seen you predict things out of nowhere. I've seen the lights stutter when you're upset. What if you're controlling the voltage power, too?"

Sam shook her head. This was ridiculous. The need to run away ignited over her skin. "Why do you have to say things like that? Why can't you just let things be easy?"

"Because they're not easy," Lucas said simply. "You keep pretending everything is okay. You move on to solve the next problem or the next campaign. What are you afraid is going to happen if you let it in?"

Sam wasn't used to this constant agitation in the pit of her stomach. She was supposed to be the easy-going one, the bright and radiant friend that barely got annoyed. Now, recently, she couldn't avoid the lingering frustration. She hated herself for it, but she had the perpetual desire to scream.

"That's not fair," her face wrenched up, shaking her head.

Lucas leaned back from her, caught off guard.

"Uh... what?"

"What are you so afraid of?" Sam leaned forward, eyes determined.

"Sam—"

"No, Lucas," Sam cut him off. She was done having to answer his questions. "You're so desperate for me to give answers, but you still never answered any of my questions, earlier."

What is your problem?!

What's the punchline?

Do I look stupid to you?

I support you. In everything that you do. Why can't you do the same thing for me?

"Sam," there was now a sudden devastation in his tone, body deflating. "You've gotta believe me. I'm sorry. That was me being an idiot, you didn't do anything."

And, fuck. Lucas knew her too well. He knew Sam was blaming herself for their fallout when she didn't even give him one inclination towards the thought. A part of Sam wondered if it was him with empathic superpowers, instead; but that was just hope. She could only wish it was Lucas and not her.

Sam didn't want to be like this. It was terrifying.

"I just," Sam shook her head, not comprehending, "I don't get it, Lucas. There's nothing you could tell me that could ever make me hate you, so why are you hiding this from me? We used to tell each other everything."

The "used to" stung more than it should've. Sam could feel her words cut into Lucas; feel them cut into herself. She carried the weight of both their pains in the seat of the tub. She was sad and Lucas was sad, but they didn't have to be, so why was Lucas making it so?

But there was something deeper than sadness. Fear, maybe.

Lucas was scared, hiding something from Sam, afraid of what might happen if she knew. Sam still couldn't comprehend it. Genuinely, Lucas could tell her anything. She'd go against her morals and hide a body for him. Because it was Lucas. Because they were Lucas and Sam. For him, Sam would do it.

"Seriously, Sam. I-I'm being an idiot," Lucas tried to convince her. "You didn't do anything wrong. And I'm sorry. For everything. All right?"

No. Not all right. Everything felt all wrong.

"Is it because... Is it because..." her voice trembled a little and Lucas refused to look away from her. "Are you... mad at me... because I killed Bob? I...I wouldn't blame you if were, and it would have been a lot easier if... Sometimes I just think it should've been me, it—"

Lucas looked like someone poured a bucket of ice-cold water over him. He leaned to Sam, horror coursing through him. "What? Why would you say that? What's wrong with you? God, Sam — no! No, I'd never think that!"

Sam nodded then, blinking back glassy eyes. "I thought you did," she choked. "I thought you were mad at me because I killed him—"

"Stop saying that!" Lucas cut in, absolutely mortified and heartbroken. "You didn't kill Bob. That was not your fault."

"You weren't there."

"I didn't have to be. I know you," pleaded Lucas. How could she think this? How could Sam think this about herself? "I know you, Sam. You didn't kill him."

"I didn't mean to do it," she mumbled.

"You didn't do it!" he argued, voice cracking in devastation.

"It was supposed to be me!" she shot back, voice cracking too. Her hand instinctively squeezed the B on her necklace. "Lucas, that Demodog was trying to kill me. Bob tackled it to save my life."

And, still, Lucas couldn't see a perspective where it was Sam's fault. "That was his decision. Bob saved you because he was a hero. You didn't make him, or compel him, or anything. It wasn't your fault."

"If I hadn't gotten distracted," Sam swallowed, shaking her head. "If I just kept a hold of my gun—"

"If you say you killed him one more time, I'm gonna tell El you tried to kiss Mike. With tongue."

She wiped her nose on her sleeve. "She'll never believe it."

"Then I'll tell Corey you tried to kiss Mike. With tongue."

Sam laughed through her unshed tears. Apparently Mike and Corey weren't hiding it well at all. That was okay with Sam. They were okay with Sam.

"That would be—" Sam snorted to herself even before she got the joke out. "That would be... electrifying, wouldn't it?"

It was quiet for a beat. Sam was quick to think of that time she was bleeding out in Lucas's lap. 'Well this is a hole new gaping issue.' 'Stop fucking joking, Sam.'

It shouldn't have been funny.

It wasn't, really. Sam had been wallowing in self-loathing at those exact lightning powers only seconds prior, so she didn't know how she managed to joke. She didn't know how she and Lucas managed to burst out into laughter at the exact same time.

It was the type of laughter that made your stomach hurt; the type of laughter that made you feel like you had a six-pack of abs, afterwards. Tears brimmed in their eyes, mixing with their giggles, and now that they started, they couldn't stop.

It really wasn't funny. The Mind Flayer was back, Max's brother was possessed, Sam had superpowers she'd been repressing, the world was ending again, and most aspects of their lives kind of sucked right now.

But they laughed anyways.

◦☆＊★ ━━━━━━ ★＊☆◦

The next day brought emotional comprehension from the entire Party. It was easy for them to understand that, clearly, Sam didn't want to talk about her discovery of superpowers. They saw what happened. They didn't need to talk about it. Sam had powers, just like El, and they weren't going to comment on it unless they had to.

What they did need to discuss, was in fact, that the Mind Flayer was back, and Billy was his host. He'd already flayed people again, which didn't look good for any of them. They needed to contact Hopper. Honestly, they probably should've done that a little sooner. but it was better late than never.

El was currently in the void, looking for where Hopper may be. She was sitting on the couch, alone, while everyone stared across at her. Mike and Will were both sitting on wooden chairs; Corey on an ottoman that was supposed to be a leg rest for the couch; Lucas was on the armchair, and Sam and Max were on the floor across from the couch.

"I found him," El broke the silence. There wasn't a blindfold at Mike's house (Sam didn't know why there would be), so Mike had to grab one of his dad's ties for El to use.

Max asked, "Where is he?"

"Woods," El responded blankly.

Everyone shared clueless looks at the vague answer El provided.

"'Woods'?" Lucas repeated, unsure of what that meant.

Adding just a little more context, El said, "He's with... Will's mom."

"My — My mom?" Will questioned, bewildered.

Corey's face screwed up in disgust. "Aw, gross!" he commented.

Sam threw a chip at Corey to shut him up. Then, facing El again, she wondered, "What are they doing?"

"Oh, I think we all know the answer to that."

"Dude!"

"Ill... Annoy," said El, blood dripping out her nostril. "They're going to Ill-Annoy."

Then, a banging knock came from up the stairs of the basement door. It was Karen Wheeler, shouting, "Mike! Breakfast!"

"Not now, Mom!" Mike whipped around to call back. Then, as if he hadn't just screamed unnecessarily loud, he turned back towards El calmly. "Illinois, like the state? The state of Illinois?"

As if the girl had been taking geography classes while she was imprisoned in a government lab.

El took the tie of her eyes, meeting Mike's confused stare. She shrugged unsurely and stammered, "Ill-Annoy?"

They were just going to assume she meant Illinois.

"Come on," Sam hopped up, stretching out a hand for El to take, "let's get you cleaned up."

Sam pulled El over to the bathroom in Mike's basement, not the one with the tub she'd been hiding in last night. Just like Lucas had done for Sam's hand, she wet a washcloth with the sink. Sam faced El, seeing the blood about to drip right into her mouth. Before that could happen, Sam grabbed her shoulder with one hand, and began wiping the blood with the other.

El's eyes were glued on the mirror, watching Sam do her work through the glass. Sam's eyes were intently on the blood beneath El's nose. Flashes of last night played in her head, everything she'd done with her newfound powers becoming a constant reminder of anxiety.

She didn't want to think about it. She knew El was thinking about it, too.

Sam let her mind wander elsewhere. Still wiping any residential blood, a small smile appeared on Sam's face.

"Deja vu, huh?" she commented.

El's head turned from mirror-Sam to actual-Sam, confused. She questioned, "Deja vu?"

"'Deja vu,'" Sam nodded, reiterating the term. "Like... the feeling you're experiencing something again. Remember when we first met and I was doing the same thing to you, but with makeup?"

It's okay if you don't understand. No one's gonna quiz you on the physics of my glasses prescription.

What is "quiz," "physics," and "prescription"?

You know, I should really learn to stop talking. Sorry. Sometimes I just get really excited and start rambling. Especially because I'm not used to speaking to girls. Or having friends that are girls. Or having people be nice to me besides the Party. That kind of sounds sad. Anyways. Do you mind if I take my glasses back now, so I can do your makeup?

"Oh," El finally caught on, a tone of fondness in her voice. "Yeah!"

"Yeah," Sam copied. The two of them smiled with each other in nostalgia. "I've gotten a lot better with the blood, huh?"

El huffed, incredulously. Because, yes, she definitely has.

'Holy...' Sam commented with wide eyes, seconds before she started fainting. Her body was falling forward, but Lucas grabbed the back of her jacket and pulled her back upright, as if accustomed to Sam's unconscious behaviors.

"Lots better," El nodded surely, amused.

The moment was broken abruptly by the bathroom door opening back up. Both girls startled, worried the boys were coming to ruin their peace. But, thankfully, it was just Max entering.

She looked rather disgruntled.

"I got more hand towels," Max announced, setting them down on the sink counter. She shuddered, "And, I couldn't stand five more seconds in there alone."

Sam and El grinned at her amusedly, and Max's mortified frown morphed into a smile as well. She watched as Sam wiped off all that was left underneath El's nose. As she was doing so, Sam noticed El was examining the bruise around her neck from when Billy choked her. Sam felt anger rise in her heart at the lasting mark he caused.

"Does it still hurt?" asked Sam, hoping she wasn't in any pain.

El brought up her hand, feeling the bruise. It was developing to be a rusty red, which Sam knew meant that it was just in its first stages of development.

She shrugged, answered, "Only when I talk."

Max made a humming noise, for some reason. "Well, it's a good thing you're not Mike, then. 'Blah, blah blah, blah blah.' And you'd be in constant pain."

Sam, Max, and El all broke out into giggles and laughter. Sam really loved this trio of theirs that they've created. She laughed, harder, happily.

◦☆＊★ ━━━━━━ ★＊☆◦

"Something's not right," Mike paced back and forth on the floor of the basement. "I can't get Hopper off my back all summer, and now all of a sudden, he's hiking with Will's mom to Illinois? And Dustin's MIA, too? I mean, this can't be a coincidence."

Lucas shrugged from the couch. "What does it matter? They're fine."

"No," Will shook his head, arms crossed. "Mike's right. My mom wouldn't just — voyage off to Illinois. Not like that."

Lucas sighed, because Will had a point there. Joyce didn't let Will out of her sight for an entire year because she feared he would be taken to the Upside Down again. For her to leave without telling Will, or getting someone to watch him...

Yeah, okay, maybe they weren't fine.

"Okay," Lucas huffed, moving on. "Fine, whatever, but... the bottom line is, they're not here. It's up to us!"

"Up to us to do what, exactly?" asked Corey, judging brows creased.

Lucas gestured, as if it were obvious. "Find Billy and stop him."

"Okay, yeah, that's a really nice sentiment," Mike started, "but even if El could find him again, and that's a pretty big if, then what?"

"We burn the shit out of him and make sure he doesn't escape this time," Lucas answered, like it was all easy-peasy.

"Okay, then what?" demanded Mike.

"Then we win."

Mike sighed, stopping his pacing to directly address Lucas. "No, see, that's the problem. We don't. We don't win. We got the Mind Flayer out of Will before and he just came right back. We don't just have to stop Billy, we have to stop the Mind Flayer."

"How in the hell do we do that?" Corey questioned in exasperation.

Mike's entire body stuttered at being addressed by Corey, but he tried covering it up by clearing his throat. He confessed, "I don't know."

"Maybe El does," Will chirped.

The four boys' heads turned to the bathroom door where the girls were.

"Or Sam," Will continued, bringing them all to the subject they hadn't addressed. Not including Sam and Lucas's conversation, anyways.

The boys got up and stood together, still staring at the door.

"Yeah," Corey started, sounding disturbed, "are we just... not gonna talk about how my cousin casually has superpowers? Like, I feel like that's sort of a big deal."

Mike shrugged, nodding to the boy at his right. "Lucas talked to her about it last night, right?"

Holding a box of Cocoa Puffs, Lucas nodded, although it was heavy. "Yeah, and she's — uh — not thrilled about it, to say the least."

"Well, I thought it was cool..." commented Will.

Lucas gestured towards Will, gratefully. He cheered, "That's what I said!"

"You apologized to her for being a jealous asshole, too, right?" Corey interrogated, because he wasn't going to let that whole thing slide, either.

Lucas exhaled tiredly.

"Yes, Corey," he murmured. "I did."

Corey nodded, said, "Good. Then we're chill again."

Lucas smiled, feeling like a weight was being lifted off of him. He and Corey bumped the sides of their fists together over Mike, who was still just staring at the bathroom door. Then, Lucas reached his hand and began eating to Cocoa Puffs as Mike spoke again.

"What are they still doing in there?" he wondered suspiciously.

Munching on Cocoa Puffs, Lucas shrugged. "I'on know. Girls just like... hanging out in baf'rooms."

He held the cereal box towards Mike, offering him some. Mike shoved the Cocoa Puffs away in disgust, not sparing Lucas a glance.

"Why?" Mike asked, incredulous.

Again, Lucas shrugged cluelessly. Still eating cereal, he answered, "I mean, I dunno."

"They're conspiring against me," Mike blurted in delusion.

Corey's entire face screwed up judgmentally. He rounded in on Mike, snapping, "That's what you're concerned about right now?"

"It's not my main concern," Mike hissed quietly. "It's just a sub-concern!"

"I thought it was already over?" Corey sneered, whispering.

Mike whisper-shouted, "It is over, but that doesn't mean I want Max dirtying my good name! I still want El as my friend!"

"Doesn't sound like they want you as their friend!" Corey whisper-shouted right back. "Sam's the only one in there that actually likes you!"

"That's not true!" defended Mike with an offended look.

"Yes it is!" They all heard Max's voice interject herself from the bathroom. "You guys do realize we can still hear everything you're saying right?"

Then, the boys heard muffled giggles from Sam, Max, and El.

"Dirtying my good name," Mike still whispered to the boys, earning eye rolls from Corey, Lucas, and Will. "I told you, they're conspiring."

Someone was knocking on the basement door again.

Mike rolled his eyes, whipping towards the stairs. "Not now, Mom!" he yelled, again, unnecessarily angry and loud.

"Mike, open the door!"

That wasn't Mike's mom. That was the sound of Nancy's voice.

When Mike threw the door open in confusion, he was met with Nancy and Jonathan's distressed frames.

He didn't need Sam's superpowers. He knew something was wrong.

◦☆＊★ ━━━━━━ ★＊☆◦

Sam wasn't expecting Nancy and Jonathan to come down into the basement with the story that Nancy had been stalking an old lady because rats were eating her fertilizer, only to find out the old lady was eating the fertilizer, only to find out that something weird happened to the old lady last night in the hospital.

"It was the same thing," Nancy stressed, pacing in a manner identical to her brother. "The exact same thing that happened to Will last year. And, look at this. Look at the body temperatures."

On the coffee table in front of the kids, Nancy placed down medical records that belonged to the old lady.

"How did you get these?" Sam asked, disturbed, squinting at the papers.

Everyone else focused just on how high the body temperatures really were. Will recalled, "He likes it cold."

"Okay," Mike exhaled, "so this crazy old woman who eating fertilizer—"

"Mrs. Dristall," Corey corrected.

"Mrs. Driscoll," Nancy corrected.

"Right, yeah, Mrs. Driscoll," Mike waved a dismissive hand. "What time was this attack?"

Unhelpfully, Nancy answered, "Last night."

"Right, but what time last night?" Mike rolled his eyes.

"Around 9:00," Nancy shrugged, not seeing the importance of it all.

Jonathan stiffened, head turning to Nancy. He frowned, "You waited all night to call?"

"I was waiting for the doctors to run some tests," Nancy stammered awkwardly.

"Wait," Will whipped his head towards Jonathan incredulously. "You weren't there?"

"Well, I'm here now, aren't I?" Jonathan threw his hands up, deflecting.

Nancy scoffed sarcastically. "Hallelujah!" she claimed.

Lucas winced, feeling personally offended by Nancy's shade himself. He commented, "Ooh... You guys are worse than Mike and Corey."

"Wait, what's up with Mike and Corey?" Jonathan wondered, confused.

"Nothing!" Mike and Corey chorused together, faces flaming.

They were sending Lucas identical glares, but he didn't notice, because he was just looking at Sam and hoping he had gotten a smile out of her. He did, of course. Sam was covering it with a hand over her mouth and her head tilted down.

"Um..." Nancy tried getting back on topic. "So, what time was your thing with Billy at the pool?"

"We called it The Sauna Test," Sam added for no reason.

Lucas's face morphed into one of confusion. "No one called it that," he told her, judgingly.

"Well I called it that," Sam crossed her arms defensively. "It was after The Case of the Missing Lifeguard."

"...What?"

"Don't ask," Max and El shook their heads at Luas.

Nancy threw her head back with a loud groan, catching the attention of everyone. They were getting very off track now. It was times like these where Sam was reminded just how related she and Mike were.

"Oh, my god," Nancy breathed in annoyance. "What time was 'The Sauna Test'?"

"Around 9:00," the whole Party answered in unison. They knew better than to dare challenge Nancy Wheeler when she wanted a goal met.

Nancy's face lightened up. "Well, that proves it. That proves my theory."

"She's flayed," Mike nodded, agreeing. "Just like Billy."

"'Flayed'?" Jonathan repeated in confusion. He was very confused today.

Mike explained, "The Mind Flayer, he flays people. Takes over their mind. Once he does that, they basically become him."

"That's why Billy fucked up El's shit yesterday," Corey said unnecessarily, gesturing to the bruise around her neck. "Then Sam had to electrocute him. Oh! She has superpowers, by the way."

"Hold up," Jonathan held his hands out, bewildered, while Nancy sent a flustered Sam a wide-eyed stare. "You electrocuted Billy with superpowers?"

Sam didn't really know how to respond. She shrugged innocently with her hands raised, claimed, "It was an accident?"

Nancy looked completely taken aback. "Wait... is that why—?"

"Probably, yes," Sam interjected, tilting her head down to hide the awkward blush on her face. "But that's not the point... If there are two flayed—"

"We have to assume there are more," Will finished for her, nodding.

"Heather," El spoke up softly. "Billy was doing something to her. She was scared. She was screaming — bad screams."

Lucas furrowed his eyebrows. "What's a good scream?"

"Max said—"

"Doesn't matter," Max cut in quickly, shaking her head. Sam looked traumatized.

"I'm sorry," Nancy interrupted. "I'm lost. Who is Heather?"

Max answered, "She's a lifeguard at the pool."

"Or... was," Sam added, side-eyeing El.

"Heather Holloway?" Nancy asked for clarification, receiving nods from Sam, Max, and El. Nancy and Jonathan shared a look of realization. They chorused, "Tom."

And then, Nancy and Jonathan were forcing the kids to hurry into her car without any explanation. Jonathan pushed Sam up the stairs, startling the girl. Everyone was confused, but they followed the older teenagers anyways.

"Jonathan, let Corey sit in the front," Mike said, when Jonathan reached for the handle of the passenger seat.

Jonathan stopped, confused. "Why?"

"Because we're all gonna be squished in the back and he's claustrophobic as fuck?" answered Mike, as if it was simple and obvious. "Just let him."

Jonathan raised his hands in defense, afraid of the fourteen-year-old, for some reason. Corey was standing, frozen, hiding a pink tint to his face. But Mike nodded at him with a soft smile meant for no one else, opening the passenger door for him.

"Um — thanks," Corey choked out, once he realized he had to move.

Mike shrugged. "No big deal, Core."

And, well, that was that.

Everyone piled into the car, forcing each other to make room. "Move!" "No, you move!" Jonathan was stuck in the back, miserably, with Lucas, Mike, Max, and El.

Sam and Will had let everyone walk in front of them, but hadn't realized that meant there would be no room for them in the back seats.

Realizing she would have to sit in the trunk, Sam whinged, "Seriously?"

"Welcome to my world," said Will, moving towards the trunk.

Feeling like she was slowly becoming the forgotten friend, Sam followed Will unhappily. They sat facing each other, backs on either side of Nancy's car. Sam closed the door behind them, still not looking pleased.

Behind the steering wheel, Nancy was throwing up her hair with a banana clip. She turned around to face the teens in the back. "There's too many people to put on seat belts," she told them, "so use Jonathan for protection if we crash."

Jonathan gaped, offended, but Nancy turned right back around without a care.

◦☆＊★ ━━━━━━ ★＊☆◦

well....

BIG REVEAL DROPPED TODAY FOLKS

SAMANTHA RENEE HUGHES HAS SUPERPOWERS HOW DO WE FEEL???

although it might've been painfully obvious to everyone else, it definitely wasn't for sam, so we're just going to pretend that it wasn't totally predictable. ok?

i, for one, am ECSTATIC because i have been planning this for YEARS. this plot was the one reason i started the book and i've been waiting so long to divulge in it! the reason it's been repressed for so long is because SAM'S been repressing it for so long

poor girl is afraid of herself :((

BUT THE BATHTUB SCENEEEEE

OH MY GODOODDOFDOF'GLFGJD;

LOOK AT MY SON PRIDE IS NOT THE WORD THAT I AM LOOKING FOR

i think that's my favorite hughclair scene i've ever written ever. no joke. omg. it healed me then broke my heart then healed me again then broke my heart then healed me AGAIN. i could go so in depth with how much i love it but i feel like i ramble too much in the author's notes

CAN YOU BLAME ME THOUGH??? y'all, he cleaned her hand because he knows she hates blood. she told him about the nightmares. lucas consoled her about her powers. they made up. sam would kill a person for him (not very platonic thoughts samantha i think you're repressing something...). she thinks she killed bob. she made a joke. they laughed again. i want to end it all that scene IS MY ACTUAL FAVORITE

i also think it's HILARIOUS they can't go ONE CHAPTER without being mad at eachother. they're so obsessed with each other.

i'm acting like i didn't write this omg idk why i'm so geeked

anyways

sam "it was an accident" hughes, girl goodbye i can't w her unserious ass

mike remembering corey's claustrophobia bc of one situation that happened a year ago???? i'm ill????? they're so gay?????

ANYWHO to celebrate my good mood with this chapter i'm added fake tweets i made from "the long game" universe LMAO. may or may not include coded spoilers for season 4

speaking of, there is a character named auggie. he's one of my ocs that's going to appear in season 4, i just want to introduce you guys to him. he's literally just a loser guy i hope u guys love him like i do

these tweets are so funny to me i have sm more made lmao

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what'd you think?